Q&A with superstar soccer player Hoosh

Roman's Empire is honored to have Hoosh as our Q&A guest today. Hoosh is a new member of the Hunter College (New York) soccer team. We know your soccer schedule keeps you busy so thanks for joining us Hoosh.

Q: First of all, you worked really hard to get to where you are in your soccer career, how much of an accomplishment was it to make the Hunter team?

A: Spending my teen years in the mean streets of West Hills provided me with the mental fortitude that has allowed me to become a part of an under-funded Division III soccer program that will aim to win at least 2 games next season. My parents and I could not be more jubilant about my accomplishments. I feel fortunate that a partially torn Achilles tendon, a severely sprained ankle, and two inflamed lumbar discs have not slowed me down...yet.

Q: Your friend Nadeem's question about a theory you and him had made it into Bill Simmons mailbag, and Simmons said "Nadeem and Hoosh go White Castle" was a great movie, how cool was that?

A: Seeing my name in a Bill Simmons article was the highlight of my sports-related career. It barely beat out my 28 point JCC League performance and that one time I filled in on the Camel-Towing team and fully represented the fellas with back hair.

Q: Some people doubted that it was you. Do you think there is anyone else named Hoosh in New York?

A: You know, after my name was put up on the interwebs, a few people have tried to stake a claim to the name "Hoosh". I would like to set the record straight once and for all that there is only one true Hoosh. He enjoys long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners with that special someone.

Q: What number are you wearing for Hunter, and why did you pick that number?

A: Since our soccer program is not very well funded, we change our jerseys and numbers every season. For the time being, I am wearing #2. It represents the number of times I tried out, unsuccessfully, for the ECR basketball team. Speaking of which...

Q: At El Camino Real High School, coach Ludlow called you as if you made the freshman basketball team, and then immediately cut you. How did that experience motivate you?

A: One could argue that Ludlow cutting me was the beginning of my miraculous rise to the top. For those that actually knew me, however, it marked my fall from grace. I immediately became a chain-smoker, gained 25 lbs, and started shouting obscenities at strangers for no apparent reason. It took a seemingly effective intervention by a mullah and a rabbi (it's complicated) to set me straight...I still sneak in a pack or five here and there.

Q: You used to shoot a version of Kareem's sky-hook, the “Hooshercize”, in pickup basketball games. What kind of reaction did that get from those playing in the game with you?

A: People would have the same look on their faces as my parents did when I told them I was gonna major in Philosophy. It was a magical and rare combination of amazement, confusion, disappointment, and utter shock. I recommend all the readers to try this if they can. Tell your parents and watch their reaction, it's really quite a scene.

Now let's go our readers:

Todd from West Hills, CA asks:

When growing up in Iran, who were your inspirations as soccer players and who do you feel your game most represents?

A: Great question Mr. Wolfson. Growing up in Iran, access to a TV was a rarity, so watching famous players was out of the question. But I did admire this guy who was like the neighborhood Ronaldo, though he couldn't really shoot, or pass, or dribble, and he was pretty slow too. But man he had some really nice cleats.

Q: Now Hoosh, I understand you are possibly planning to go to dental school but you also might be playing Birmingham Hoosh in "JCC the Movie," coming out in 2009, what other projects do you have in the works?

A: Well, I also have the sequel to "Nadeem and Hoosh go to White Castle" coming out soon. The sequel has a working title of "Nadeem and Hoosh Escape from Alcatraz" and is in post-production as we speak. We tried to get Sean Connery and Nick Cage to co-star with us, but the producers felt that having two big-name actors in our movie would diminish the artistic value.

In addition to dental school and all my movies, I may also be attending graduate school to pursue a PhD in Philosophy, or I may decide to stay in NYC and begin my takeover of a multi-billion dollar investment bank. I think we can all agree that with my combination of good looks and brains to match, the sky's the limit.

Q: What do you say to kids in Iran who are trying to follow in your footsteps?

A: My message for kids in Iran is plain and simple: do your best to be born into a family that is wealthy enough to move out of Iran. If you are unfortunate enough to not be one of those kids, there may be a Nigerian prince who can aid in your escape from Iran...for a minimal fee, of course.

OK, now let's go to the quick fire round...

Q: Favorite pro soccer team?

A: Paris Saint-Germain FC, followed by Liverpool FC

Q: The best Seinfeld episode is...

A: That’s like asking me to pick a favorite between my children. “The Little Jerry”

Q: Random Laker...

A: Mike Penberthy

Q: Who would win in a game of one on one, Larry or Mathew Rosenberg?

A: I’ve heard that Larry has been hitting the gym on the regular and has bulked up to at least 125 lbs, so he’s a viable threat. That being said, Matthew Rosenberg has the quickest release in the business, and I think that will be a deciding factor in a close game. 11-9 in favor of Rosenberg.

Wednesday State of the Sports Union

Trent Johnson is leaving Stanford for LSU. Anyone is better than Johnson who only helped his team by getting kicked out of a game in the NCAA Tournament, but wouldn't it be interesting if Mike Montgomery returned to Palo Alto. Yes, I know he just took the job at arch rival Cal but I wouldn't put it past any coach to sign a contract and then resign to take a more desirable job just days later. We've had a lot of quick signing, quick regretting coaches lately.

Billy Donovan (Orlando Magic back to Florida) and Rick Majerus (signed at USC before resigning) among others.

Fan Behavior: I couldn't agree more with Chase Utley's statement on Mike and Mike in the Morning Wednesday.

"If a guy's not playing hard or a guy's not hustling, that's when you should maybe let him know how you feel, but if you're playing hard and you're just struggling, the more positive support the better," Utley said.

From my boy Channing Frye's blog, which is really sick. Channing is a funny ass guy:

A lot of people ask me, “What is it like being tall?”

Well I’m gonna give you a simple breakdown of the pros and cons of being tall:

Pros

• It’s ok for me to ask for the exit row at the airplane
• I can hide things in places that no one will ever find
• It doesn’t hurt when playing basketball, volleyball, or tetherball
• I get called cool nicknames like Stretch, Big Guy, Big Fella, Tall Drink of Water, and Humungo
• I don’t have to be picky about a girl’s height because none of them are taller than me
• I get the biggest short size all the time because I have the longest legs
• I get automatic shotgun at all times
• When I order a lot more food than what I can eat they always give me a quick look then say “I guess you need to eat; you’re such a big boy.”

Cons

• Growing up I could never get any of the cool shoes in my size
• No matter what I wear, unless it’s a basketball jersey, I feel like it’s just not made for people my size (I personally just make it look good)
• Even though small cars are cool I can’t fit comfortably in any of them. I try and save the earth by conserving gas but I can’t fit in a Subaru or Honda, so I ride in a realy simple Tahoe. I try to do my part.
• No matter what seat I have on an airplane, unless it’s the team plane, NOTHING is comfortable — absolutely nothing. It’s a mental battle the whole trip trying to keep my knees from the people in front of me smashing them with their seats. I mean, seriously, do you not see the 7-ft man behind you? Do you think it’s cool to slam your chair back on our 330-hr flight?

Other than that, I mean, there really aren’t any other cons. Being tall is great. I love it and wouldn’t change it in the world.

Andruw Watch:

The Dodgers stud centerfielder came off the bench Wednesday. That's right, he wasn't even in the starting lineup.

He went 1-2 with a strikeout.

Season totals: 5-31 10ks, BA: .129

Roses are Brown for Lakers

Here's the good news: The Lakers won't have to play a game in the playoffs at the Rose Garden. For them, the Rose Garden smells like shit. They've lost six straight in Portland, a place where Lakers defense is prohibited.

Here's the solution: LA teams combine. The Lakers take the Dodgers defense, and the Dodgers take the Lakers offense. Rafael Furcal could be the Lakers shut down defender and Kobe can hit jacks. That's the only way to fix the Lakers porous defense and the Dodgers impotent offense. I mean, it's not like Andruw Jones is going to be much help.

Yeah, he's getting paid a lot of money. Yeah, he used it at Carl's Jr., Fatburger, and Greasy Tony's in the offseason. Yeah, he's fat. No, he can't hit a lick.

Andruw Watch:
Tuesday: 1-3, 1k
Season 4-29, 9ks BA: .103
=
Goooooood

Currently, the Lakers are the No. 3 seed in the West, which means potential matchups with the Suns in the first round, the Spurs in the second round, and the Hornets in the Conference Finals. In other words, the Lakers can't do any worse than getting the No. 3 seed.

Calling Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum:

Um... guys we need you. We have Vlad Radmanovic trying to guard Brandon Roy. Gary Vitti, we need your help.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 78 games) Lakers: 53-25 3rd in West

Fisher +320
Kobe +560
Turiaf +92
Odom +404
Gasol +245
Mihm -14
Walton +181
Bynum +238
Farmar +215
Radmanovic +326
Brown -44
Vujacic +112
Crittenton -40
Karl +8
Ariza +5
Mbenga +18
Newble 0

Up next: at LA Clippers Thursday 7:30 p.m. PST TNT

Should he stay or should he go?

The bad times continue for Arizona basketball. As most expected, Chase Budinger declared for the NBA draft.

He did not hire an agent and is therefore eligible to come back for his junior year. But that doesn't look likely. His trainer Trent Suzuki, who has been close to Chase since he was a kid, said Chase isn't coming back if he's projected to be in the top 20.

"I think if he gets it confirmed that he can get something like" a top-20 pick, he would stay in the draft, Suzuki told the AZ Daily Star. "I don't really know what his thought process is. Obviously, if he's a lottery pick, he'll come out for sure."

NBAdraft.net currently has him going 16th to Toronto and draftexpress.com has him at No. 14 to Denver. It's unlikely he'll drop any further down considering his elite athleticism and his potential in workouts.

To me, Chase is the next Mike Dunleavy, only chosen with a reasonable pick, so he won't have the pressure of Dunleavy who was picked third. The most disconcerting thing about Chase's game has been his free throw shooting this season. For someone who possesses a great shooting stroke to shoot just 70 percent from the charity stripe should be a warning sign for NBA teams about his mental makeup. Inconsistency crept into Chase's game, especially during his sophomore year. Sometimes, he just floated in games and failed to become a factor. Defensively he's soft, despite having good quickness and long arms. At the next level, only strong minded players make it.

Can Chase become a contributor or will he be the next Casey Jacobson? That's to be determined. What will be determined much sooner is whether Chase will begin his NBA career this season.
Had he come out his freshman season, he would have been a lottery pick. As people dissected his game and found his weaknesses, he dropped to the late lottery or mid teens. Staying another year allows the skeptics to dig even deeper, and there's a chance he drops even lower in the first round. With Arizona basketball in disarray as the coaching situation creates more turmoil, there's no reason for Chase to stay.

With Chase and Jerryd Bayless gone, Arizona will not make the NCAA Tournament. The duo accounted for 48% of Arizona's scoring. Brandon Jennings is a great player but he can't make up for two first round picks. Arizona's lineup will probably like this now:


PG: Brandon Jennings
SG: Nic Wise

SF: Jamelle Horne
PF: Jordan Hill

C: Jeff Withey


If Withey is as good as advertised, maybe the front court will finally be able to compete in the Pac-10. That's a big if for a freshman center, especially one who is still growing into his body. The back court is extremely small, but both are good shooters. Horne showed that he can be a role player this season, but can he take the next step and pick up the slack for the scoring left by Budinger and Bayless. A lot of questions, a lot of inexperience, and an old coach coming back into a difficult situation.

Should be an interesting year in Tucson.

Should he stay or should he go Part 2:


Bill Self just won the national championship. The game, by the way, made up for the two excuses for Final Four games we saw on Saturday.

Now the tough part begins. Self, an Oklahoma State alum will be offered the head coaching job in Stillwater. He'll also be offered a king's ransom by Boone Pickens, a billionaire who has donated almost $300 million dollars to OSU, 92 percent of which has gone to athletics.


It's not out of the question that Self could get around $5 million a year and potentially could become the highest paid coach in college basketball. That's a lot of money, even for a guy who's making about $1.25 million a season at Kansas.


I know Self is a good coach but is Pickens really willing to spend that much money for those boring pre game speeches that sound like bed time stories?

I understand Self is a good coach and an OSU alum but he needs to go to Dick Vitale speech class. Or just close the locker room. Shouldn't the players be excited before the game?

The bottom line is that Self can make Oklahoma State a good program, but he can be great at Kansas. If he wants to be great he'll stay at Kansas.

The Longest Yard

JKlein3030 (10:59:28 PM): i love how michael vick is playing football in prison...if you were in prison, how tight would it be to play football with vick

romoballa (11:00:02 PM): Not that tight if ur one of his wrs, he'd always either overthrow u, or hit u in the ankles

Andruw Jones watch:
Monday: 0-4, 2ks
Season: 3-26, 8ks

Ohhh and 1

It's been a long time, boys and girls.

What can I say, I've been lazy. No excuses, play like a champion. A lot has occurred in the world of sports and as my almost namesake Jim Rome would say, here's what I'm burning on:

• I'm currently in 2,563,361st place in the ESPN tournament challenge. I'm pretty sure there were only 2,563,362 people who entered brackets.

• Television cameras spotted some kind of substance on the hand of Jake Peavy during a Dodgers/Padres game this weekend.

My question is, when are the Dodgers hitters going to be spotted with substances? The Dodgers are dead last in the major leagues in home runs, with two. They don't have warning track power. They have warning to the warning track power.

JKlein3030 (6:12:55 PM):if they're lucky

• Andruw Jones is 3-22 with six strikeouts and I don't want to say I told you so, but I told you so. However, I didn't listen to myself in hopes that Dodger management was right and drafted him in one of my fantasy baseball leagues. As Will Ferrell would say, "What an Idiot!"

• I went to my fourth Laker game of the season Friday against the Mavs, shattering my total for Laker games attended which previously stood at three all time, prior to this season. Courtesy of one of five Jews over 6-foot-8 in the country, I sat in the best seats of any of the games I have attended. So naturally there were some celebrity sightings: The guy from Arliss, B-Real, Lisa Leslie (not sure if she should be considered), and Jason Taylor. The aforementioned tall Jew happens to be a big Dolphins fan so when Taylor walked by us, he yelled "Jason, you're the man," and Taylor turned around, smiled and pointed at him.

• The Nike Hoop Summit will be televised by Fox Sports Network at 1:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, April 12. Emmanuel Negedu of Arizona, who's from Nigeria will play for the international team. Brandon Jennings will not play at all.

• Jennings did play in the McDonald's All-American game and vowed to break the assist record, which he almost did, had some of his teammates been able to finish their layups and dunks. Rocking the Fresh Prince of Bell-Air haircut, he had five assists in the first five minutes, dazzled with his ball handling and looked like the pass first point guard Arizona desperately needs.

• Jerryd Bayless is entering th NBA draft and will hire an agent. Shocking. Nottttt!

• Not only did ASU have a great season in basketball despite getting snubbed from the NCAA Tournament, but Wells Fargo Arena was rocking in the NIT. So much, that the ESPN announcers commented on the atmosphere numerous times. The crowd stood for the majority of the game and I'm not just talking about the student section. With James Harden coming back next season, ASU will be a tournament team and gasp, should be better than Arizona.

• Brian Westbrook meet Richard Hamilton. If you remember, Brian Westbrook with his selfish stop at the 1 yard line ruined my fantasy football season. Rip had a chance to help my fantasy basketball season by not playing against my fantasy team two Sundays ago. The following is the discussion I had with my opponent before that awful Sunday, regarding Rip's injury.
  

evan411web (3:24:29 PM): its a sore hip

evan411web (3:24:33 PM): he has missed two games already

evan411web (3:24:36 PM): should be ready to roll

romoballa (3:24:44 PM): it should be a lingering problem

romoballa (3:24:46 PM): hopefully

evan411web (3:24:53 PM): haha

romoballa (3:24:54 PM): and they don't need him, rest up for the playoffs

evan411web (3:25:00 PM): haha he is their leading scorer

romoballa (3:25:03 PM): hold on, flip saunders is on the line

evan411web (3:25:16 PM): lol

romoballa (3:25:23 PM): hello flip, yeah i meant wat i said in the voice mail

romoballa (3:25:32 PM): yes, i'm holding ur housekeeper hostage

evan411web (3:25:38 PM): see he might not play tonight

romoballa (3:25:39 PM): do u want to see maria again?

evan411web (3:25:42 PM): since they are playing miami

Of course, he played, and I lost.

• Joe Torre is not a good manager. In fact, he's one of the worst, the numbers say.

• Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss were on the Dog Whisperer.

• Larry Bowa, the Dodgers new third base coach is the man. He was suspended for his dustup with the third base umpire, and he wasn't even arguing a call.

"We got a memo and an edict, and they're adamant about the box and stuff," (umpire Ed) Montague said. "Don't go up in front of the box toward home plate, and don't get any closer to the foul lines. I told Bo in the bottom of the fifth, because he got up close. And that's what caught my eye. And I just told him, 'Bo, you got the memo, we got the memo, and you've got to stay back.' I went over and told Joe in-between innings what I told Bo. And Bo just said, 'I'm going to do it the way I've always been doing it.'"I said, 'Bo, if you go up, I'm going to have to run you.' And he said, 'Do what you've got to do, and it is what it is.' When he got up in front of it again, I said, 'Bo, I told you once, now get back in the box.' He argued it, and finally I said, 'You're gone.' So I gave him every chance in the book and he defied it."It's probably one of the dumbest ejections I've had."Bowa unleashed a profanity-laced tirade regarding the rule as he left the Dodger Stadium."I did it all spring, nobody said a word," he said, still irate a half-hour after the game ended. "I did it yesterday, nobody said a word. It's impossible to coach third and stay in the box with a runner at second."

To no one's surprise, Bowa also expressed anger early in spring training about having to wear a helmet at third.

Quote of the week:

"He eats Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner. That's why his stomach hurts," fellow guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "We tell Derrick (Rose) the whole year, 'Stop eating so many Gummy Bears and Sour Straws.' But he can't. ... Nobody eats Gummy Bears more than him."

This idiot was on Arizona's football team. After this video, he wasn't.

Coming up: An interview with Hunter club soccer star, Hoosh.

Johnny Mountain or Dallas Raines?

Have you ever wondered what your weather man name would be? Every one knows your porn star name is your middle name and the name of the street you live on. But I've always wondered how you go about picking your weather man name. Los Angeles has two of the best in Johnny Mountain (CBS) and Dallas Raines (ABC). Then I ran across this list of the best weatherman names in the country.

Yes, someone actually compiled a list, researching a majority if not all of the local television stations nationwide. It's that important.

Flip Spiceland tops the list, but my personal favorite is No. 2 Storm Field. I can't imagine how much confidence a man with a name like Storm Field has. It's like when Homer Simpson changed his name to Max Power. I'm confident that Storm Field would give Chuck Norris the fight of his life in a cage match.

I've narrowed the list of names for when I become weatherman to the following five:

Larry Tornado
Tropic Snow
Bobby Heatwave
Sleet Cloud
Sonny Skies

And just for the hell of it, how about some weather related athlete names:

Eric Snow
Garth Snow
Sonny Weems
Tim Raines

Lakers get one back

Same two teams, back to back nights, different city, different result. The Lakers got one back from the Golden State Warriors in Oakland after losing at home on Sunday. Once again, the Lakers had to come from behind, took a lead, and then blew a lead. But this time, they got another chance in overtime, and thanks to the hot shooting of Derek Fisher and Sasha Vujacic, as well as some timely plays from Lamar Odom, the Lakers walked away with a victory. And then there's that guy Kobe Bryant who had 30 points 11 rebounds and seven assists in what amounted to a quiet game for him. Kobe started 3-13 and missed 19 of his 30 shots, yet the Lakers still walked away with a victory.

That's a good sign.

What's not a good sign is the fact that Fisher and not Kobe took the potential game winning shot at the end of regulation. So far this season, the Lakers have had Fisher, Walton, and Odom take and miss game winners. Kobe has had a few also. The point is that Kobe should at least have the ball in his hands in the waning seconds. If he's doubled and decides to pass to a wide open shooter ala Jordan to Kerr or Jordan to Paxson, that's fine. Yesterday, Kobe didn't even cut to get open. There was no screen set for him. Don't you want to free up your best player for the final shot? How many times does Lebron not get the final shot for the Cavs? Not too many. If you have to set a quadruple screen for Kobe, then do that. You can take your chances with the other guys but that hasn't worked thus far.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 66 games) Lakers: 49-22 2nd in West

Fisher +311
Kobe +528
Turiaf +93
Odom +385
Gasol +227
Mihm -16
Walton +160
Bynum +236
Farmar +204
Radmanovic +309
Brown -44
Vujacic +85
Crittenton -40
Karl +8
Ariza +5
Mbenga +23

Up next: vs. Charlotte Wednesday 7:30 p.m. PST FSN

Viva Las Vegas

I'm back from my vacation to Las Vegas and ready to blog. Whatever happens in Vegas...is reflected on your bank and credit card statements.

Also, I said vacation, but let me tell you, betting on losing college basketball teams and yelling at the screen is a lot of work.

By the way did you know that in 14 seasons as a head coach prior to this year, Kevin O'Neill has compiled a 190-197 record (.491).

Is that someone u want leading Arizona in the future, the present, or in a charity game? Is that someone you want to bet on when your team needs a win in a first round NCAA tournament game when you still have three days left in Vegas and you hope to have enough money to at least buy food?

In addition to losing money, I'm sure I at some point lost my dignity. It could have been when I was so hammered, I danced my way off the bed and onto my ass at Tao, got kicked out as I was already leaving (still not sure why) and then stumbled to a roulette table at Balleys and put my remaining $31 on red. And I actually won, leaving me some money to bet with the next day.

On the bright side, I watched almost every game, and bet on almost every game. I took a little time off to chill by the pool, but the lifeguard refused to let me drown myself. She, like everyone else who works in Vegas was one size bigger in the chest region. So that was fun to look at.

So what's next for Arizona basketball you might be asking?

Chase Budinger has embarrassed himself to the point where he might have to come back? Needless to say Joe Alexander has replaced Budinger as the best white athletic player in the country, and this means that Arizona may once again make the tournament next year, of course as an 8 or 9 seed.

I would be absolutely shocked if Jerryd Bayless comes back and even more shocked and devastated in O'Neill came back. The KO experiment bombed like Pearl Harbor.

Next year's lineup should look like this:

PG: Brandon Jennings
SG: Nic Wise
SF: Chase Budinger
PF: Jamelle Horne/Jordan Hill
C: Jordan Hill/Jeff Withey

I've heard some good things about Withey, a 7-footer from San Diego lately, but as with all tall, frail white guys you have to be cautious. Having Hill go back to his natural position of power forward would be integral to keeping him out of foul trouble. It doesn't appear the Wildcats will be that much deeper next year, but Horne and Zane Johnson will be a little more ready to play in the Pac-10 and Emmanuel Negedu could see some minutes as a freshman.

Brandon Jennings will replace Bayless, but don't expect him to have a much larger impact. Jennings will have a harder time finishing around the basket than Bayless because of his 170 pound body. He's a much better ball handler, however, and will involve his teammates more. Bayless, a natural scorer who would have fit in well alongside Jennings. The days of Bayless curling off screens off the ball all day long are over because Jennings' game is with the ball in his hands.

The Lake show
Without Pau Gasol, the Lakers have been inconsistent. No post presence inside means Kobe has to work a lot harder to get his points and that causes him to be less effective on the defensive end. The 72 points the Lakers gave up in the first half to the Warriors is alarming for a team whose early exit in the first round the last two seasons was mainly due to poor defense.

Andrew Bynum is out for at least another 2-3 weeks, and the longer he sits, the longer it will take for him to get back in shape and back in rhythm. I wouldn't expect him to be his first half self immediately, especially considering the type of work he put in this summer to prepare him for his breakout season. It's a lot more difficult to get back into playing shape when you're 7-feet and 270 pounds than it is for a guard.

Trevor Ariza isn't even running on the Lakers new $75, 000 treadmill yet so he'll be lucky to be back for the playoffs.

In even worse news, Chris Mihm looks like he may be the first one of the four injured Lakers to come back. Let's hope Phil Jackson pretends that Mihm is still injured when it comes to playing time.

Dodger Blues

I never got a chance to go to Dodgertown and that makes me sad. I had a preliminary plan for a trip, even had a free Southwest ticket. But it didn't work out and I feel like I missed out.

There's been a lot written in the past few days about the memories, the Dodger legends, the fan interaction, and the tradition. And even though I never got to experience if first hand, reading about a place that was so special to so many has been a treat.

Tommy Lasorda and others reflected on Spring Training in Vero Beach after the Dodgers last game there.

Perhaps the place meant more to Lasorda than anyone else, wrote TJ Simers of the LA Times.
And the Dodger players gave him a fitting tribute, letting him walk off the field last as they stood side by side and raised their bats like swords, allowing a king to exit his castle.

The Dodgers will hold spring training in Glendale, Arizona next year, in a new multi million dollar complex they will share with the White Sox.

It will be closer to Los Angeles, about a five hour drive from Dodger Stadium. I understand why they're moving. I'll probably get to watch them in person even. But I can't help but feel like this is similar to when they took the legends off the outfield walls in favor of advertisements. The Dodgers have so much history. They're a walking baseball museum. But with every business decision, they lose some of that history.

Other Tidbits:

Trent Johnson almost cost his Stanford team the game against Marquette in the second round, and saved his team in that game at the same time. You see, his two technical fouls and the seven point play Marquette got because of it put the Cardinal in a hole. Not having Trent Johnson on the sidelines for the rest of the game gave Stanford an advantage. The Cardinal went to Brook Lopez on every possession including the last one when Lopez made a 10 foot turnaround shot to win the game. Johnson should stay in the locker room at the beginning of the game next time. He's a better coach from there anyway.

Stephen Curry is fun to watch. The kid is averaging 35 points a game in the first two rounds and single handedly dismantled Georgetown and Gonzaga, two solid defensive teams. He runs all over the court like Reggie Miller, has a good handle, and ice in his veins. Here's to Davidson being the next George Mason.

Are you for some reason not excited about the NCAA tournament? Watch this clip and you will be.

Gus Johnson is the man!


As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 65 games) Lakers: 48-22 2nd in West

Fisher +312
Kobe +526
Turiaf +91
Odom +381
Gasol +227
Mihm -16
Walton +166
Bynum +236
Farmar +199
Radmanovic +308
Brown -44
Vujacic +72
Crittenton -40
Karl +8
Ariza +5
Mbenga +23

Up next: at Golden State Monday 7:30 p.m. PST KCAL

Panic Time?

The beauty of sports is the ups and downs. Without the valleys, the peaks wouldn't feel so good. That's why teams scream no one believed in us when they win championships. Because it feels better to go from the lowest low to the highest high.

The Lakers have gone through some obstacles. Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza were already facing pretty serious injuries and now Pau Gasol goes down with a sprained ankle that did not appear to be on the lighter side.

"I would be ecstatic if he only misses three games," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

That's not a particularly good sign.

You could say it's been a roller coaster season for the Lakers. First the low of the offseason with all the Kobe drama, then the solid start followed by the Bynum injury, and then the Gasol trade to bring hopes to a high.

Yesterday, with the loss of Gasol and a loss to the Hornets, the team is at a low once again.

This is the time for a team to band together and to overcome adversity. The bench that has been so improved this year has to step up. Kobe must prove that when times are tough, he can still be a good leader.

If Bynum and Gasol come back and the Lakers make a deep run in the playoffs, each win will be that much sweeter because of the situations they've faced throughout the season.

By the way, Spain still won the World Championships (pictured above) without Gasol.

CSUN's season ends on a low:

Cal State Northridge basketball led the Big West Conference from the first day to the last day, finishing in a three way tie. But in their first game of the Big West Tournament, the semifinals, the Matadors went out quietly.

The Matadors lost 83-68 to Cal State Fullerton in a game they never led and didn't get closer than 10 in the second half.

They turned the ball over, took bad shots, and didn't play the kind of pressure defense that led to their success all season. Fullerton had already played a game the night before and had a rhythm to their offense from the start. The Titans took it to Northridge early, building an early 20 point lead from which the Matadors could not recover.

The season began on an unexpected high, with seven straight conference wins and ended on a low, with no NCAA Tournament appearance.

The idiocy of Joel Meyers:

For about three possessions after Gasol went down with his ankle injury, Meyers didn't even mention the fact that the Lakers were playing four on five and that Gasol was at one end of the court grabbing his ankle. Now he either is completely blind or he just flat out chose not to discuss a potentially devastating injury.

He continued calling the game like nothing was wrong.

I sat there stunned while Meyers talked about how well the Lakers were playing at that point. Is this what it's come down to? The intelligence of the viewers is being insulted and there's nothing we can do about it. Chick Hearn is turning over in his grave.


Who knew Chan Ho Park's autograph could cause an international incident?

Apparently, Chinese soldiers stood between Chan Ho's fans and the Dodgers super star potential fifth starter.


As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 65 games) Lakers: 45-20 T- 1st in West

Fisher +295
Kobe +515
Turiaf +67
Odom +363
Gasol +227
Mihm -16
Walton +185
Bynum +236
Farmar +199
Radmanovic +244
Brown -44
Vujacic +100
Crittenton -40
Karl +7
Ariza +5
Mbenga +3

Up next: at Houston Friday 12:30 p.m. PST ABC

Don't let this man be Arizona's future coach

I would start www.firekevinoneill.com but mercifully the worst coaching era in Arizona history appears to have just one more game left.

O'Neill was brought in to instill toughness in a program that was consistently dubbed soft. How's a 50-27 rebounding disparity? Does that not exemplify a soft team? I know, I know, Stanford had two 7-footers. But how about the long rebounds? How about the fact that 6-foot-5 Fred Washington had eight rebounds? How about six-foot guard Mitch Johnson pulling down 10 rebounds? How about Lawrence Hill getting eight rebounds off the bench?

How about doing a little boxing out? How about chasing down the loose balls? How about showing some grit? Where was the David vs. Goliath mentality when it comes to rebounding?

What was Kevin O'Neill talking about during all those timeouts he wasted early in the game, once again running out with more than five minutes left to play?

Where was the game plan? The adjustments?

Stanford's weakness is its guards. So the Wildcats went to a soft man to man?

Where was the pressure on the ball? Why didn't they press full court, or at least a three-quarter trap? Make the Lopez twins make decisions with the ball. Exploit their weaknesses.

Instead, Stanford turned the ball over just seven times. Arizona's athleticism was never a factor.

Why didn't O'Neill take advantage of Arizona's strengths? Why didn't the Wildcats get easy baskets in transition where the Lopez twins would be less of a factor. Why didn't the Wildcats try to speed the game up?

So many questions, and so little answers. The wait until Selection Sunday has never been this nerve racking.

There's only one thing that is certain:

JamMasterJ86 (11:09:21 AM): i just want KO to not be the next coach

Kevin O'Neill was bad at Northwestern, bad at Tennessee and horrible with the Toronto Raptors. He's not a good coach and should not be the coach at Arizona. Jim Livengood, are you listening?


Steve Lavin's wife is really, really hot. I now have such a different appreciation for one of the worst coaches in UCLA history. I wonder if Kevin O'Neill's wife is hot. That's the only thing that could save his reputation.

It was just Wednesday when Arizona beat Oregon State. But that win was a given because Oregon State is like the Washington Generals.

Ouch:

How in the world is this surgery minor?

If this is true, Tommy Bowden is a scumbag: Ray Ray McElrathbey was kicked off the team despite having two years of eligibility left because Clemson went over on the amount of scholarships they can have, thanks to their big recruiting class this year.
If you remember, Ray Ray was a national story for taking care of his brother in the absence of their mom, who was a crack addict, and their dad, who was a gambling addict.

Now, he doesn't even have a scholarship and Bowden has no comment.

The Ronny Show:

I went to my third Laker game of the season on Tuesday, a single season record for me. I rocked my Ronny Turiaf jersey proudly, as people stared at what I'm sure they perceived to be counterfeit.

Shouldn't that be a 4 after the 2? Why does it say Turiaf and not Bryant?

Those were the questions people thought coming into the game. But after the game and Ronny put up nine points, four rebounds, three assists, and his usual hustle and energy in 14 minutes, one fan walked by me and actually said, "Dude, I'm getting a Ronny Turiaf jersey."


As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 64 games) Lakers: 45-19 1st in West

Fisher +292
Kobe +525
Turiaf +81
Odom +370
Gasol +226
Mihm -16
Walton +192
Bynum +236
Farmar +207
Radmanovic +242
Brown -44
Vujacic +110
Crittenton -40
Karl +7
Ariza +5
Mbenga +3

Up next: at New Orleans Friday 5:00 p.m. PST KCAL

CSUN snags Big West Awards

Cal State Northridge basketball has been an afterthought in the grand scheme of Los Angeles sports. This season, the Matadors won their first ever share of the Big West title, going 12-4 to finish tied with Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara.

So, Northridge is now...well still an afterthought.

But at least the Big West awards committe (the coaches) took notice.

Bobby Braswell won the Big West Coach of the Year and senior forward Jonathan Heard was named to the All Big West first team.

Tremaine Townsend and Deon Tresvant were named to the second team and Josh Jenkins and Calvin Chitwood were honorable mentions.

I do have beef with one of the selections. As one of the few people who have followed Northridge basketball throughout the season, I know that no one has been more instrumental in the Matadors' success than Josh Jenkins.

When asked what the biggest difference was between last season's struggles and this season, Braswell didn't hesitate to cite Jenkins. He may not be a top scorer, but he's eighth in the nation in assists and does a great job of playing on ball defense, the main factor in CSUN's league lead in turnovers forced and steals.

As for the Lakers, defense has been the afterthought. They gave up 71 points in the first half to the Sacramento Kings, while playing Matador defense (pun intended). After a missed jumper at the buzzer by Kobe, the Lakers lost 114-113, missing an opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the West.

In both games against the Kings this year, they have struggled on defense, giving up open layups and too many easy jump shots. In the first game, Kobe bailed the Lakers out with his huge fourth quarter. Remember all that jersey strutting and primal yelling. Yeah, that didn't hapen this time. Kobe scored one point and took just two shots in the final quarter, including his last second miss.

Which brings me to a theory I've had.

The offense has to go through Kobe in the last five minutes. That means he must touch the ball on every possession in the last five minutes or Phil subs the other four players out. The Lakers are deep enough to make that work and Phil could send a message.

Barring a fastbreak, the Lakers offense will get a considerably better shot if Kobe touches the ball. Almost every opposing team brings the double against Kobe and he can either split the double team or find an open shot for someone else. When he doesn't touch it, the ball moves but nobody gets open, especially because teams tighten up their defense at the end of a game. The result is usually a forced Derek Fisher drive or an unncessary Lamar Odom jumper. So go to Kobe or be subbed out.

Pain in the Ass:

The Dodgers are already down two third basemen in spring training and now, the guy who would be starting for the moment, Tony Abreu, is out indefinitely because of a pulled muscle in his right buttocks. He was playing in his first game on Friday after coming back from an abdominal injury and hurt his ass running out a ground ball.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 63 games) Lakers: 44-19 T-1st in West

Fisher +287
Kobe +516
Turiaf +74
Odom +371
Gasol +224
Mihm -16
Walton +183
Bynum +236
Farmar +203
Radmanovic +239
Brown -44
Vujacic +110
Crittenton -40
Karl 0
Ariza +5
Mbenga +3

Up next: vs. Toronto Tuesday 7:30 p.m. PST FSN

Olson will be back next year

Lute Olson is expected to announce his intentions to be the head coach at Arizona again, next season.

I had been hearing for a while that Lute would not be coming back, but apparently something triggered a decision to come back to the sidelines at McKale.
As a person who has a lot of respect for Lute and one who doesn't think too highly of Kevin O'Neill's coaching record, I think it's great for the program to have Lute back.
He's a coaching legend and deserves to retire on his own terms, with a year long farewell tour to boot, whenever he decides to hang it up.

"I am very eager to be back doing what I love, which is coaching this team," Olson said in a statement. "I appreciate everyone's support during this period and want to thank Kevin O'Neill for the great job he's done in my absence."

Olson also said that his absence was caused "by a medical condition that was not life-threatening, but serious enough to require time away from my coaching responsibilities.”

Previously, Olson had said that his personal leave was not for health reasons.

Bench Less

bench (bnch)n.

1. A long seat, often without a back, for two or more persons...

7. Sports

a. The place where the players on a team sit when not participating in a game.

b. The reserve players on a team.

By definition, there is no problem with Arizona's bench. Yeah, that long seat without a back has been replaced by comfortable chairs, but for the most part its accurate. Nowhere in the dictionary does it say that the bench has to come in and score points, or bring energy to a game. The Arizona bench just doesn't know any better.

Take away Nic Wise, who has started only seven games but figures to not see much of the bench again, and the Cats leading scorer off the bench is...?

Laval Lucas Perry.

That's right in the five games that he played, he averaged 4.0 points per game.

Saturday, in yet another loss for the Wildcats, to Oregon, the bench played 33 minutes and scored four points. When Jordan Hill and Jerryd Bayless picked up their fourth fouls, Arizona had no one to turn to. When you point at all the reasons for the Wildcats' problems this year, start by sticking a finger at the depth. There's a reason North Carolina can lose Brandan Wright and not skip a beat. Arizona goes from having first round picks in their starting lineup to having mid major players off the bench. You could argue that the best bench player it has is Bret Brielmaier, and he's a walk on.

So this is what it has come to. Arizona finished the season under .500 for the first time since 1983-84 and will have to play in the No. 7-10 seed game on Wednesday vs. Oregon State. Barring some unforeseen circumstances in the conference tournament and a jarring upset by the Beavers, the Wildcats are still in the NCAA Tournament, but the way they will get there has been anything but pretty.

Bench More:

It may be a few days late to rehash the Lakers dominance of the Clippers Friday night, but there were a few things that stood out and are worth mentioning. The Lakers can thank a large portion of their success to the development of the bench.

You want to talk about energy off the pine. How about 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and five blocks for Ronny Turiaf.

And there was the final play of the game.

As the fans chanted "Coby, Coby, Coby," Ronny Turiaf committed a foul protecting the basket with 0.8 left in a 119-82 blowout win.

NO EASY BUCKETS.

That's what separates great teams. The Lakers played hard the entire game. It's the same way with the Celtics. Kevin Garnett did more than bring 20 and 10 to every game. He brought energy to practice. The Celtics bench did the same thing to the Bulls. Glen Davis and Leon Powe were swatting shots and playing like it was a tie game even though they were up 20.
Some may say what Ronny did was unnecessary, but I think what he did says a lot about this team. It may have been subconscious, but he said we're going to play for 48 minutes, no matter what.

"We're all in this together and any success that we have as starters or guys that have names, we're not as successful as we can be without those guys so we're going to support them the same way they support us," Derek Fisher said after the game.

As for the Clippers, they have a three headed monster at point guard and man is it ugly. Dan Dickau, Brevin Knight, and Andre Barrett may be the worst point guard rotation in the history of basketball. And that includes my buddy's AAU team. None of those guys would start.

Damn Russians

An Interesting story about Kansas forward Sasha Kaun and the way his father died.

Has winning and losing got out of hand in college athletics? Barry Hinson, the coach at Missouri state was fired after nine seasons.

Granted, I have no way of knowing if there is more to it than meets the eye, but this man had eight winning seasons in nine years, three NIT appearances, and three Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship appearances. His team had the highest Academic Progress Report results in the conference and 46 of 48 players in his 11 years of coaching in D-1 basketball have graduated, according to Doug Gottlieb's story.
This is not Kentucky. We're talking about Missouri State and we're talking about a coach who won consistently. Instead, Missouri State spent $150, 000 of what I'm sure isn't that large of an athletic budget to make him go away. I almost hope there is more to the story, because the peripheral findings show a disturbing trend in college sports.

Better late than never:

Andrew Bynum is still about a month away from playing.

CSUN wins a share of the Big West title: Check out my Daily News article on the Matadors, who earned a No. 2 seed in the Big West Tournament on Senior Day.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 62 games) Lakers: 44-18 1st in West

Fisher +281
Kobe +515
Turiaf +79
Odom +361
Gasol +231
Mihm -16
Walton +178
Bynum +236
Farmar +210
Radmanovic +245
Brown -44
Vujacic +112
Crittenton -40
Karl 0
Ariza +5
Mbenga +3

Up next: vs. Sacramento Sunday 6:30 p.m. PST FSN

Pac-10 Awards

Player of the Year: Kevin Love (UCLA)
He's sixth in scoring, second in rebounding, and fourth in field goal percentage in the Pac-10, playing for a team that will win the conference. Moreover, it's the intangibles that make him so special. He leads the UCLA fastbreak with his outlet passes, steps up in tough environments (like at Oregon) and is the only freshman in the country to score in double digits in every single game this season. Plus, he's actually raised his averages in Pac-10 play despite facing tougher competition than UCLA's soft non conference schedule.

Coach of the Year: Kevin O'Neill (just kidding)

Herb Sendek (ASU)
During the Rob Evans tenure at ASU, Sun Devil fans were just hoping for relevancy. I bet they didn't think it would come this fast. In just his second season at the helm, Sendek has turned things around in Tempe, bringing ASU to the doorstep of the NCAA Tournament. And he's done it with a core of underclassmen. Three of Sendek's top six scorers are freshmen and two are sophomores.

Most underrated: Jon Brockman (Washington)
Usually the most underrated player gets discussed so much that he no longer becomes underrated. That would be Ryan Anderson. He's not underrated because everyone now knows about him.
Meanwhile Brockman, for an underachieving Washington squad, leads the Pac-10 in rebounding and is fifth in scoring.

Worst player in the history of the Pac-10: Mitch Johnson (Stanford)
I know Mustafa Shakur is probably screaming at his computer right now from Belgium or Poland or whatever Eastern European country he's hiding in, but Mitch Johnson stomps on the theory that you need a good point guard to be a good team. Blind announcers call Johnson steady. That's code word for completely ineffective. With the Lopez twins inside, Johnson finds himself more open than the ticket register at Oregon State games, but he still managed to score zero points in 32 minutes against Washington State. He constantly gets beat off the dribble by opposing point guards (see Darren Collison Thursday) and when it comes to crunch time don't expect him to make a play.
"We're going to go as far as Mitch takes us," Stanford guard Anthony Goods said in February.
Uh-Oh.

The don't call me, I'll call you award (for exceeding my expectations): OJ Mayo (USC)

Mayo may have dropped in terms of draft status but he didn't live up to the off-court hype, which is a very positive thing for his image (except for those rumors that he punched Daniel Hackett and broke his jaw, but that was preseason so we'll excuse it, right?)
On the court, he may have put up a lot of shots, but he showed that he can play within a team, play both guard positions, and step up to the challenge. He outplayed Derrick Rose and Jerryd Bayless head to head on both ends of the floor. Barring him tossing the ball into the crowd after a dunk in his last game of the season, Mayo will leave USC on a high note, no pun intended.

The Isaiah Fox award for grand larceny: Pac-10 officiating

They say bad calls eventually even out. I guess that's true for Stanford. The Cardinal stole a game from Arizona on two phantom calls, one on Jordan Hill's fifth foul and one on Brook Lopez getting blocked. Then they got a taste of their own medicine against UCLA when for some inane reason Kevin Brill (no relation to Darren) called a foul on Lawrence Hill for what replays showed to be a completely block. Even more ridiculous was the fact there were two seconds left. Unless someone gets absolutely hammered, you're supposed to let the players decide the game. Nice job Brill. For Stanford fans and betting aficionados, the result was even worse. Stanford was +8.5 and lost by 10 in overtime, thanks to a meaningless Darren Collison layup late in the game. I'm officially putting the Stanford campus on suicide watch.

The Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio Award: Washington

It seems like the Washington/Arizona battle for Pac-10 supremacy was just a few years ago. O, wait. It was just a few years ago. Maybe Cameron Dollar should do some more illegal recruiting because the Huskies recruits haven't panned out too well. Losing Spencer Hawes to the NBA draft didn't help, but every successful program must be able to overcome the loss of players leaving early.

The Official RPI Killers Award: Oregon State

Bubble teams everywhere who had Oregon State on their schedule are currently sobbing.

The Dan Gadzuric Award for best name change: Lorenzo Mata-Real

You know what adding an extra word to your name gets you? Less playing time. Congrats Lorenzo.

The Eugene Edgerson Award for best hair: (Tie) Russell Westbrook, Robin Lopez

Lopez tried to do his best Anderson Verejao impersonation while Westbrook had the flaming mohawk going (that sounds like a gay porn movie).

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

The good

Nic Wise is back and healthy. I'll admit I was skeptical of him coming back this season because frankly, Arizona and many other schools haven't been the most honest about injuries.
But Wise not only came back, he played 34 minutes, scoring 15 points and dishing out six assists.
That's more points than his replacements have scored in the past seven games.
A blowout win over a team you're supposed to blow out is also a good sign.
The best of the good is that this win seals a date to the dance for the Wildcats. That's right, losses to Oregon and a first round exit from the Pac-10 Tournament won't curtail Arizona chances. It would just put them at an No.11 or No. 12 seed. But contrary to what some may think, Arizona, with it's No. 1 SOS is firmly entrenched in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bad
The heading could be retitled "The Oregon State." The Beavers are worse than bad. They might be the worst team in the history of the Pac-10, and will most likely become the first team in Pac-10 history to go 0-18, barring an epic upset over ASU.
So for Arizona, a win over a horrible team doesn't really prove anything. Sure it was a good opportunity to slide Nic Wise back into the lineup without any pressure, but the Wildcats didn't look all that good for the first 10 minutes.

They had seven turnovers in the first six minutes and trailed through the first nine minutes. The bench still gave close to nothing, eight points on 4-11 of shooting despite playing 49 minutes.

The Ugly

I thought there weren't a lot of fans in my trip to Corvallis last season. Boy, was I wrong. The front row was empty. Dave Sitton and Bob Elliott continually chattered about the crowd instead of focusing on the game. You could hear several fans in the student section yelling "Jordan you suck" and Chase, shoot the ball," to the point where Hill and Wise were laughing on the court. CSUN basketball has better attendance, and they seat just 1600 in the Matadome.
The announced attendance was 4,386, but there wasn't close to that many people in their seats. Some of the missing probably had good reason.
The Beavers start three players who average 4.6, 2.9 and 0.8 points per game. That's a complete embarrassment to the Pac-10.
If a team fails to win a conference game, it should be demoted to a lower conference, kind of like what they do in European soccer. So the Big West would get Oregon State and the Pac-10 could get the winner of the Big West, possible CSUN. Wait, that's a bad idea.
How about the Pac-10 just goes with nine teams so Oregon State doesn't ruin everyone's RPI.


If a first place contest in the Pac-10 occurs and Tony Kornheiser is sleeping, did the game really happen?

The Stanford/UCLA game started at 11 p.m. on the East Coast. For those sleepy eyes still watching at the end of regulation, that block on Darren Collison probably looked like a foul. Maybe the referees were still on East Coast time.

Check back soon for my Pac-10 Awards

This Just In

(Nati Harnik / AP)
Andruw Jones is Fat.

"Andruw Jones looks heavy. The newest Dodger centerfielder looks like the newest Dodgers wrestler," wrote Bill Plaschke in the LA Times."

Jones weighs 245 pounds, supposedly only 10 more than he weighed at his peak. At the beginning of last season, Jones dropped 15 pounds and played most of the season at 230 pounds, though judging by his belly that's hard to believe. Jones said losing the weight actually hurt his power. So he decided to take the Boris Diaw challenge and hit the buffet.

"I ate what I wanted, I did what I wanted," Jones said of his winter. "I tried to get back to normal."

And now, whalaa. Jones may need to a bring a folding chair into the outfield to take breaks between pitches and the nachos guy in center field will have a little further to walk.

So this brings me to that 50 million pound challenge you've been seeing on commercials. I'm only inviting several athletes, who could take the challenge all by themselves.

Hats off to Brett Favre:
"I hope that every penny they spent on me was money well spent," said a teary eyed Favre. "It was never about the money or fame or records. I hear people talk about your accomplishments....It was never my accomplishments, it was our accomplishments."

Favre's emotion never gets old. It's genuine. Favre isn't perfect, from the addiction to prescription drugs to being the all time leader in interceptions, but the man cared about the game, he cared about the fans, and he played as hard as he could on every play. He had an appreciation for everything that was given to him. The talent, the money, the adoration. We wish all of our favorite athletes had that kind of perspective.

Since they don't, it's always refreshing to celebrate the career of an athlete who did it the right way.

A picture tells a thousand words, most of which Ron Artest probably can't read:


Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Ron Artest is a crazy Mother F*****. I mean he could have at least had the name of a good team shaved into his head.

In related news, Kobe Bryant has crazy Mother F****** game. It feels like he and Lebron are trying to one up each other. Kobe carries his team in the fourth quarter and pops the front of his jersey in Sacramento, so Lebron goes out and puts up 50 in Madison Square Garden.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 61 games) Lakers: 43-18 T-1st in West

Fisher +258
Kobe +488
Turiaf +64
Odom +332
Gasol +204
Mihm -16
Walton +160
Bynum +236
Farmar +197
Radmanovic +229
Brown -44
Vujacic +99
Crittenton -40
Karl -3
Ariza +5
Mbenga +2

Up next: vs. LA Clippers Friday 7:30 p.m. PST FSN

Madness in McKale

Christine Olson sat courtside. Lute Olson watched the game from his office with two security guards outside.
The situation at McKale Center is awkward.

It's like a party where a guy who just broke up with his girlfriend refuses to even walk to the other side of the room.
Lute has gone into hiding. He won't speak to reporters to clear up the situation and rumor has it that Kevin O'Neill won't be back if Oslon indeed returns. As Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily said, the "silence is deafening."
Lute deserves his privacy. Arizona basketball owes everything to him, but he owes it to the fans, to his players, and to the recruits to clear the uncertainity.

The program is in a sad, seemingly unorganized state. The Wildcats are holding on for dear life to their NCAA Tournament chances this season, and with the possible departure of both Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger, next year appears even more likely the tournament streak will come to an end.

Lute didn't have to address his personal life Sunday afternoon. But he could have said a few things to the crowd and thanked them for their support. He could have taken the microphone and publicly thanked Jawann McClellan who had one of the most difficult careers of any UA basketball player yet handled himself in a manner that will leave him as one of the most respected UA basketball has had.

I feel bad for Jawann. No one went through more obstacles, from the passing of his father to his academic challenges to the knee injuries that decimated his career. Yet he always kept his had up, was a great leader and gave it 100 percent on the floor. He was a solid citizen in the UA community, interacted with fans and students, and threw himself into all of university life, not just basketball.

Arizona will miss his presence.

It's time for Dodger baseball

The Dodgers top for starters already have a nickname. The Fearsome Foursome.
Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley and Kuroda should strike fear into opposing teams who have to face the Dodgers in a 3-4 game series. Barring injuries, of course.
One of the interesting aspects of this story is that Brad Penny in an attempt to stay in better shape is riding his bike every day to Dodgertown, a habit he began last season.

On the not so lighter side:

Nomar takes out his frustration on the fans

Check it out: My post regarding the "Birdman"on National Lampoon's Splog.

M-V-P

Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press


"We ain't losing this game, come on."

Those words uttered by Kobe Bryant toward the end of overtime Sunday against the Mavs is Kobe in a nutshell.

He took the Lakers on his shoulders and would not let them lose. Yeah, he had 52 points and was 17-17 from the free throw line after starting 3-10, but perhaps the biggest play of the game was his offensive rebound off Lamar Odom's miss late in regulation (Jeff Van Gundy predicted it would happen) when the Lakers were up 91-90. Kobe knocked down both free throws and Dirk needed a three to tie the game. Without the rebound, we could be talking about a completely different story.

It was fitting that on the anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game, Kobe put up a dominating performance.

"This was the type of game that you really want to play in when you're growing up, a physical game, a lot at stake in the Western Conference, it was a lot of fun," Kobe said.

The Lakers shot just 37.7% from the field and still found a way to win. How? The Lakers defense was solid for the most part, aside from some defensive lapses late in the game that allowed Dirk to get open 3-pointers. But overall, Kobe did a superb job on Josh Howard who was a quiet 4-15 with 11 points and Jerry Stackhouse who was 2-12. Dirk was 10-26 due to Lamar's length defensively, even though he did get it going late in the game.

The Elephant in the Room: Phil Jackson has gone to Jordan Farmar at the end of games because Derek Fisher is struggling mightily with his jump shot.
Fisher shot 36% from the field in February after shooting 48% from the field in January and 49% from 3-point range.
Fisher has been a huge part of the Lakers success and won't shoot 35% all season long, but it's a nice luxury to have Farmar and be able to play the point guard who's hot at the time.

Don't blame Kirk Walters:

Here's something you probably thought you'd never hear: "Walters has played some quality minutes."

That, from CBS' play by play man, Jim Nantz.

But what Arizona fans will remember is Walters catching the ball with five seconds, looking toward the basket, seeing no one within 10 feet and passing it backward to Jerryd Bayless. The first instinct is to yell "shoot the ball" or "take it to the hoop" but we're talking about a guy who had two point sand one field goal attempts, and that was a good game for him.

Throwing the ball to Walters is like the Lakers having Kobe on the floor but passing it to DJ Mbenga. Walters is not a decision maker so when he got the ball, his first instinct was to give it to a scorer, in this case Bayless. If you're drawing up a play with five seconds left, you better make sure that Walters is your last option. Since the ball was thrown in quickly, I doubt that Walters was option No. 5.

Ridiculous:

Having senior day after the game is a travesty to the seniors who have given so much to the program.

Pac-10 Player of the Year
College athlete awards are usually a joke, because rarely does the best player ever win. For some reason upperclassmen get the hardware at the expense of better freshmen. This season, Kevin Love is the best player in the Pac-10 and deserves to win the award.

(More on this in the next blog.)

El Camino boys soccer losses in the City Championship: Check out my Daily News article.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 60 games) Lakers: 42-18 1st in West

Fisher +241
Kobe +477
Turiaf +67
Odom +332
Gasol +173
Mihm -16
Walton +151
Bynum +236
Farmar +202
Radmanovic +225
Brown -44
Vujacic +103
Crittenton -40
Karl -3
Ariza +5
Mbenga +2

Up next: at Sacramento Tuesday 7:00 p.m. PST KCAL